Today’s pop charts are crammed with rap, R&B and some good ole’ country tunes. But rock keeps being one of Canada’s best sellers.
It’s that incredible fandom that Sparrow Blue is counting on as it releases its debut album on Friday, Dec. 7, at Station on Jasper. Opening for the St. Albert six-piece is Dextress, a rock band with an ’80s twist, and Open Air, a Calgary rock band with a modern vibe.
Sparrow Blue started in 2015 as six guys jamming for the hell of it. Three years down the road they’ve released a self-titled eight-track that illustrates the band’s hard-rock music and high-energy performances.
Vocalist Des Parks, guitarist Jon Dombroski, drummer Liam Holm and percussionist Russell McCann are St. Albert born and raised diehards. Regional players Bernie Baksa and bassist Jeff Olson round out the troops.
“Our goal is to provide music for everybody to listen to. We’re into the rock ’n’ roll style, but we’ve mixed a modern tone into it,” said Dombroski, a Sturgeon Composite High graduate.
The six musicians developed a passion for rock as children while listening to their parents’ albums. Through the years, they adopted influences from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin and Mountain.
“We think there’s a lot of people out there who like rock ’n’ roll, but with a new tone that attracts younger people.”
Sparrow Blue shares the same fan base as some of the more contemporary rock bands such as The WILD!, The Lazy’s, Supersuckers as well as The Whale and Wolf.
To meld their broad range of inspirations, the band retained producer-engineer Brad Simons, former Tupelo Honey guitarist, now owner of Velveteen Audio, to record their CD.
“They’ve done tons of impressive work in the past. The price was fair and they give you the freedom to work in the studio, but also help you as much as they can,” Dombroski explained.
Various band members were writing songs from the get-go, however for the first two years, Sparrow Blue spent time learning the ropes and developing a network of contacts.
Last year, they got down to business. An audience favourite is Touch Down Turbulence, a number related to space and planets.
“It’s our pump-up rock song and sets the party atmosphere.”
Little Rockin’ Mamma keeps the party on full throttle with a video scheduled for release in mid-December.
Softening the mood is Winters At My Place, a deep ballad sung by vocalist Des Parks and accompanied by Bernie Baksa’s 12-string guitar playing ambient sounds throughout.
“The lyrics are very deep compared to the rest of the album. It gives me a chilling vibe.”
On the other side of the coin is Journey Begins, a song about an individual aching to explore the world that sets the mood for the album.
Show starts at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets at www.sparrowblueofficial.com.
